In an era of rapid technological transformations, educational systems are facing unprecedented challenges and opportunities. Teachers, as the primary agents for achieving educational goals, require digital competence to effectively address the demands of the digital age and the expectations of the new generation of students. However, evidence indicates serious shortcomings in this area, which can negatively impact the quality of student learning. On the other hand, AI anxiety and the need to develop self-directed learning skills are other significant challenges for teachers. This research aims to develop and validate an AI-based research literacy training package and examine its effectiveness on the digital competence, AI anxiety, and self-directed learning of elementary school teachers. This study employs a mixed-methods approach, involving the design of the training package in the qualitative phase and a quasi-experimental design with pre-test, post-test, and a control group in the quantitative phase. The statistical population consists of elementary school teachers in District 4 of Tehran, from which 30 individuals will be purposefully selected and assigned to experimental and control groups. Data will be collected using standard questionnaires and analyzed using statistical methods of covariance analysis. It is expected that this training package can serve as an innovative strategy to effectively empower teachers and enhance the quality of education based on modern technologies.



Keywords: Research Literacy, Artificial Intelligence, Digital Competence, AI Anxiety, Self-Directed Learning, Teachers.